German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Atlantis
Career (Germany) Merchant Navy Flag of Nazi Germany)
Operator: Hansa Line
Builder: Bremen Vulkan
Launched: 1937
Christened: Goldenfels
Homeport: Bremen
Fate: Requisitioned by Kriegsmarine, 1939
Career War Ensign of Germany (1938-1945)
Operator: Kriegsmarine
Builder: DeSchiMAG
Yard number: 2
Commissioned: 30 Nov 1939
Renamed: Atlantis, 1939
Reclassified: Auxillary cruiser, 1939
Nickname: HSK-2
Schiff 16
Raider-C
Fate: Sunk, S Atlantic, 23 Nov 1941
General characteristics
Displacement: 17,600 (7,862 gross register tons (GRT))
Length: 155 metres (510 ft)
Beam: 18.7 metres (61 ft)
Draught: 8.7 metres (29 ft)
Propulsion: 2x6cyl Diesel; 7,600 hp (5,670 kW)
Speed: 16-knot (30 km/h)
Range: 60,000 nmi (110,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance: 250 days
Complement: 351
Armament: 6x150 mm,1x75 mm,1xII 37 mm,2xII 20 mm,4xTT,92mines
Aircraft carried: 2x Heinkel He 114B

The German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis (HSK 2), known to the Kriegsmarine as Schiff 16 and to the Royal Navy as Raider-C, was a converted German Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser, or merchant or commerce raider) of the Kriegsmarine, which, during World War II, travelled more than 161,000 km in 602 days, and sank or captured 22 ships totaling 144,384 tons. Atlantis was sunk on November 21, 1941.

She was commanded by Kapitän zur See Bernhard Rogge, who received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Such commerce raiders do not usually engage other warships, but rather seek to sink enemy shipping, similar to the work done by submarines.

Contents

[edit] Early history

Formerly a freighter named Goldenfels, she was built by Bremer Vulkan in 1937, and was owned and operated by the Hansa Line, Bremen. In late 1939 she was requisitioned by the KM and converted to a war ship by DeSchiMAG, Bremen. and was commissioned as the commerce raider Atlantis in November 1939.[1]

[edit] Design of Atlantis

This ship was 155 m long and displaced 17600 tons. She had a single funnel amidships. She had a crew of 349 (21 officers and 328 enlisted troops) and a Scottish terrier, Ferry, as a mascot. The cruiser carried a dummy funnel, variable-height masts, and was well supplied with paint, canvas, and materials for further altering her appearance, including costumes for the crew and flags. Atlantis was capable of being modified to 26 different silhouettes.

[edit] Weapons and Aircraft

The ship carried one or two Heinkel He-114B seaplanes, four waterline torpedo tubes, and a 92-mine compartment. The ship was also equipped with six 150 mm guns, one 75 mm gun on the bow, and two twin-37 mm guns and four 20 mm automatic cannons; all of which were hidden, mostly behind pivotable false deck structures. A phony crane and deckhouse on the aft section hid four of the 150 mm guns.

[edit] Engines

Atlantis had dual, 6-cylinder engines, which powered a single propeller. Top speed was 16 knots (32 km/h).

[edit] General characteristics

From Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946

  • Displacement: 17,600 tons, (7862 gross register tonnage)
  • Length: 155 m
  • Beam: 18.7 m
  • Draught: 8.7 m
  • Machinery: 1 shaft , 2 -6 cylinder MAN diesels, 7,600 hp (5,670 kW)
  • Speed: 17 knots (31 km/h)
  • Armament
    • 6 x 150 mm guns
    • 1 x 75 mm gun
    • 2 x 2 x 37 mm guns
    • 4 x 20 mm guns
    • 4 x 533 mm torpedo tubes
    • 92 mines
    • 2 float planes
  • Crew: 349-351

[edit] History of Atlantis

[edit] Atlantis, Krim and Kasii Maru

In 1939, Atlantis was part of the Hansa Line under the name Goldenfels. In 1939, she became the command of Kapitän Bernhard Rogge. Commissioned in mid-December, she was the first of nine or ten merchant ships armed by the Third Reich for the purposes of seeking out and engaging enemy cargo vessels. Atlantis was delayed by ice until 31 March 1940, when the former battleship Hessen, now a radio controlled target vessel, was sent to act as an icebreaker clearing the way for Atlantis, Orion, and Widder.

Ships sunk by Atlantis [2]
Number Name Type Nationality Date Displacement Fate
1 Scientist Freighter British 3/5/1940 6,200 t Sunk
2 Tirrana Freighter Norwegian 10/6/1940 7,230 t Captured
3 City of Baghdad Freighter British 11/7/1940 7,505 t Sunk
4 Kemmndine Passenger liner British 13/7/1940 7,770 t Sunk
5 Talleyrand Motor vessel Norwegian 2/8/1940 6,730 t Sunk
6 King City Freighter British 24/8/1940 4,745 t Sunk
7 Athelking Tanker British 9/9/1940 9,550 t Sunk
8 Benarty Freighter British 10/9/1940 5,800 t Sunk
9 Commisaire Ramel Passenger liner French 20/9/1940 10,060 t Sunk
10 Durmitor Freighter Yugoslavian 22/10/1940 5,620 t Captured
11 Teddy Tanker Norwegic 9/11/1940 6,750 t Sunk
12 Ole Jacob Tanker Norwegian 10/11/1940 8,305 t Captured
13 Automedon Freighter British 11/11/1940 7,530 t Sunk
14 Mandasor Freighter British 24/1/1941 5,145 t Sunk
15 Speybank Freighter British 31/1/1941 5,150 t Captured
16 Ketty Brövig Freighter Norwegian 2/2/1941 7,300 t Captured
17 Zamzam Passenger liner Egyptian 17/4/1941 8,300 t Sunk
18 Rabaul Freighter British 14/5/1941 6,810 t Sunk
19 Trafalgar Freighter British 24/5/1941 4,530 t Sunk
20 Tottenham Freighter British 17/6/1941 4,760 t Sunk
21 Balzac Freighter British 23/6/1941 5,375 t Sunk
22 Silvaplana Motor vessel Norwegian 10/9/1941 4,790 t Captured
Sum: 145,960 t


Atlantis headed past the North Sea minefields, between Norway and Britain, across the Arctic Circle, and after passing between Iceland and Greenland, headed south. By this time, Atlantis was pretending to be a Soviet vessel named Krim by flying the Soviet naval ensign, displaying a hammer and sickle on the bridge, and having Russian and English warnings on the stern, "Keep clear of propellors". The Soviet Union was neutral at the time.

After crossing the equator, on 24/25 April, she "became" the Japanese vessel Kasii Maru. The ship now displayed a large K upon a red-topped funnel, identification of the Kokusai Line. She also had rising sun symbols on the gun flaps and Japanese characters (copied from a magazine) on the aft hull.

[edit] City of Exeter

On May 2 she met the British passenger liner City of Exeter. Rogge, unwilling to cause massive noncombatant casualties, informed his officers, "there will be no attack.". Once the ships had parted, Exeter's Master radioed his suspicions about the "Japanese cruiser" to the Royal Navy.

[edit] The Scientist

On May 3, Atlantis met a British freighter, The Scientist, which was carrying ore and jute. The Germans raised their battle flag and displayed signal pennants stating, "Stop or I fire! Don't use your radio!" The 75 mm gun fired a warning shot. The British immediately began transmitting their alarm signal, "QQQ...QQQ...Unidentified merchantman has ordered me to stop," and the Germans began transmitting so as to jam the signals.

The Scientist turned to flee, and on the second salvo from Atlantis, flames exploded from the ship, followed by a cloud of dust and then white steam from the boilers. A British sailor was killed and the remaining 77 were taken as prisoners of war. After failing to sink the ship with demolition charges, guns and a torpedo were used to finish off The Scientist.

[edit] Cape Agulhas

Continuing to sail south, Atlantis passed the Cape of Good Hope, reaching Cape Agulhas on May 10, here she discharged her load of 92 horned contact naval mines. Then she headed into the Indian Ocean. Intercepting a British radio message warning about "a raider disguised as Japanese", they adopted a new disguise, that of Abbekerk, a Dutch vessel.

[edit] Tirranna, City of Baghdad, and the Kemmendine

On June 10, Atlantis stopped the Norwegian motor ship Tirranna with 30 salvos of fire after a 3 hour chase.[3] Five members of that ship's crew were killed, others were wounded. Filled with supplies for Australian troops in the Middle East, Tirranna was captured and sent to Germany.

On July 11, the liner City of Baghdad was fired upon at a range of 1.2 km. A boarding party discovered a copy of Broadcasting for Allied Merchant Ships, which contained communications codes. City of Baghdad, like Atlantis, was a former Hansa Liner, having been captured by the British during World War I.

At 10:09, on July 13, Atlantis opened fire on a cargo ship, Kemmendine, which was heading to Burma. Filled with whiskey, Kemmendine was quickly ablaze and a boarding crew returned with only two stuffed animals. Lifeboats were taken aboard which carried women and children.

[edit] Talleyrand and King City

In August, Atlantis sank Talleyrand, the sister ship of Tirranna. Then she encountered King City, carrying coal, which was mistaken for a British Q-Ship due to its erratic maneuvering, which was caused by mechanical difficulties. Three shells destroyed the bridge, killing four merchant cadets and a cabin boy. Another sailor died on the operating table aboard Atlantis.

[edit] Athelking, Benarty, Commissaire Ramel, Durmitor, Teddy, and Ole Jacob

In September Atlantis sank Athelking, Benarty, and Commissaire Ramel. All of these were sunk only after supplies, documents, and POWs were taken. In October the Yugoslavian steamer Durmitor was taken and was loaded with documents and 260 POWs, lacking sufficient fuel the steamer resorted to sails and drifted towards Italian-controlled Mogadishu. In the second week of November, Teddy and Ole Jacob were seized.

[edit] Automedon and her Secret Cargo

At about 0700 on November 11, Atlantis encountered the cargo ship Automedon northwest of Sumatra. As soon as the Germans fired a warning shot, Automedon began transmitting, "RRR...", the signal for "raider". From a distance of more than 1.5 km, 28 shells are believed to have hit the bridge. The captain and all the officers were killed.

The Germans boarded the cargoship and axed into the captain's safe. They then blasted open a nearby strongroom and discovered 15 bags of mail marked, "Safe hand. By British Master only." This mail included a whole shipment of Top Secret mail for the British Far East Command, new code tables, a British War Cabinet report on British forces, the defences of Singapore, information regarding Australia and New Zealand, and an appraisal of the Empire of Japan's intentions. Automedon was sunk at 1507.

The documents, POWs, and 10,000 tons of aviation fuel were sent to Japan, aboard Ole Jacob. The mail reached the German embassy in Tokyo, on December 5, and was then hand-carried to Berlin via the Trans-Siberian railway. A copy was given to the Japanese and it is sometimes argued that this played a prominent part in the Japanese decision to initiate what it referred to as the, "Greater East Asia War". Rogge was rewarded with an ornate katana Samurai sword.

[edit] Kerguelen and Africa

During the Christmas period, Atlantis was at Kerguelen Island, in the Indian Ocean. There they did maintenance and replenished their water supplies. The crew suffered its first fatality when a sailor fell while painting the funnel. He was buried in what is sometimes referred to as "the most southerly German soldier's grave".[cite this quote]

In late January 1941, off the eastern coast of Africa, Atlantis sank the British ship Mandasor and captured Speybank. Then, on 2 February, the Norwegian tanker Ketty Brövig was relieved of her fuel. The fuel was used not only for the German raider, but also to refuel the German cruiser (Kreuzer) Admiral Scheer and, on 29 March the Italian submarine Perla. The Perla was making its way from the port of Massawa in Italian East Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and to Bordeaux in France.

[edit] Zamzam

By April, Atlantis had returned to the Atlantic where, on April 17, Kapitän Rogge, understandably mistaking the Egyptian liner Zamzam for a British liner being used as a troop carrier or Q-ship, as she was in fact the former Bibby Liner Leicestershire, opened fire at 8.4 km. The second salvo hit and the wireless room was destroyed. 202 people were captured, including missionaries, ambulance drivers, Fortune Magazine editor Charles J.V. Murphy, and Life Magazine photographer David E. Scherman. The Germans allowed Scherman to take photographs, and although his film was seized when they returned to Europe aboard a German blockade runner, he did manage to smuggle four rolls back to New York. It is generally believed that his photos later helped the British identify and destroy Atlantis. Murphy's account of the incident, as well as photos by Scherman, were in the June 23 issue of Life.

[edit] Post Bismarck

After the Bismarck was sunk, the North Atlantic was swarming with British warships. As a result, Rogge decided to abandon the original plan to return to Germany, and instead returned to the Pacific.[4] En route, Atlantis encountered and sank the British ships, Rabaul, Trafalgar, Tottenham, and Balzac. On September 10, east of New Zealand, Atlantis captured the Norwegian motor vessel Silvaplana.

Atlantis then patrolled the South Pacific,[5] initially in French Polynesia between the Tubuai Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago. Without the knowledge of French authorities, the Germans landed on Vanavana Island and traded with the inhabitants. They then hunted Allied shipping in the area between Pitcairn and Henderson Islands, with a landing being made on the latter, uninhabited island. The seaplane from Atlantis made several fruitless reconnaissance flights. On 19 October, Atlantis headed back to the Atlantic, and rounded Cape Horn ten days later.

[edit] U-68, U-126, and HMS Devonshire

On October 18, Rogge was ordered to rendezvous with the submarine U-68, 800 km south of St. Helena and refuel her, then he was to refuel U-126 at a location north of Ascension Island. They met with U-68 on November 13. On November 21 or 22, Atlantis rendezvoused with U-126 and Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer came aboard to take a bath. It was around this time that Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Mohr, Rogge's adjutant, awoke from a recurring nightmare about a three-funnelled British cruiser.[6]

At 0816, the foremast lookout shouted "Feindlicher Kreuzer in Sicht!" ("Enemy cruiser in sight!"). This was the British County class heavy cruiser HMS Devonshire. The "Counties" were distinctive of their three funnels.

[edit] Sunk and Sunk Again

U-126 dived, leaving her captain behind. From 14 to 15 km away, outside the range of Atlantis's 150 mm guns, Devonshire opened fire. There is dispute as to whether Rogge ordered his ship to move at full speed and emit smoke, or ordered it to stop. It is believed that they were, at this time, posing as the Greek ship Polyphemus and had begun to transmit the British code RRR, not realising that recent Allied orders had changed this procedure, and the RRR signal should now be sent as RRRR.

After 20-30 seconds, 8-in (200 mm) shells began to arrive at their target. The first salvo missed, but the second and third salvos slammed into the ship. Seven sailors were killed as the crew abandoned ship, Rogge was the last off. Ammunition exploded and the bow rose, then the ship sank.

Devonshire left the area and the German submarine resurfaced and picked up 300 Germans and a wounded American prisoner, whom it began carrying or towing to Brazil (1500 km west). Two days later the refueling ship Python arrived and took on the sailors. On December 1, while refueling two submarines, the third of the British cruisers seeking the raiders, HMS Dorsetshire, appeared. The U-boats dived immediately. The crew of the Python scuttled her so the Dorsetshire departed and it was left to the U-boats to recover the crew. Eventually, by means of various German and Italian submarines Rogge's crew was brought back to Germany.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ulrich Mohr as told to Arthur V. Sellwood (1955 (2nd printing)). Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis. T. Werner Laurie Ltd., London, p6-7. 
  2. ^ Ulrich Mohr as told to Arthur V. Sellwood (1955 (2nd printing)). Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis. T. Werner Laurie Ltd., London, Frontispiece. 
  3. ^ Arthur V. Sellwood, Ulrich Mohr (1956). Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis. John Day Co, p79-80. 
  4. ^ Ulrich Mohr as told to Arthur V. Sellwood (1955 (2nd printing)). Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis. T. Werner Laurie Ltd., London, p185-7. 
  5. ^ Part 1 — Royal New Zealand Navy. New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.
  6. ^ Ulrich Mohr as told to Arthur V. Sellwood (1955 (2nd printing)). Ship 16: The Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis. T. Werner Laurie Ltd., London, p208. 

[edit] Further reading

  • Duffy, James P. Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War II Praeger Trade, 2001, ISBN 0275966852.
  • Hoyt, Edwin Palmer Raider 16 World Publishing, 1970.
  • Mohr, Ulrich And A. V. Sellwood Ship 16: the Story of the Secret German Raider Atlantis John Day, New York, 1956.
  • Muggenthaler, August Karl German raiders of World War II Prentice-Hall, 1977, ISBN 0133540278.
  • Rogge, Bernhard The German Raider Atlantis Ballantine, 1956.
  • Schmalenbach, Paul German raiders: A history of auxiliary cruisers of the German Navy, 1895-1945 Naval Institute Press, 1979, ISBN 0870218247.
  • Slavick, Joseph P. The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis Naval Institute Press, 2003, ISBN 1557505373.
  • Woodward, David The secret raiders;: The story of the German armed merchant raiders in the Second World War W.W. Norton, 1955.
v • d • e
German auxiliary cruisers of the Second World War

Orion | Atlantis | Widder | Thor | Pinguin | Stier | Komet | Kormoran | Michel | Coronel | Hansa
List of Kriegsmarine ships